System and method for providing a network discovery service platform

• US 9,749,428 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Inventors: Lawson, Jeffrey, Wells, Tyler, Hagemann, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Razu A
• Application Number:
  US14/919,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 709227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/38 Telephone uniform resource identifier [URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2589 over a relay server, e.g. traversal using relay for network address translation [TURN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/52 : for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/62 : based on trigger specification

Abstract

A multi-tenant media communication platform system and methods. The platform system includes media communication micro-services and micro-service configuration for entities configured for the platform system. Enrolling an entity in the platform system includes setting entity configuration for use of the platform system by the entity. A signaling micro-service request is processed according to the entity configuration. The signaling micro-service request is a request for use the signaling micro-service of the platform system on behalf of the entity. Use of the signaling micro-service is accounted for on behalf of the entity. Billing information for the entity is generated based on the accounting for the use of the signaling micro-service. Entity configuration includes micro-service configuration, and micro-service configuration of the signaling micro-service specifies at least one of: an endpoint mapping to at least one application logic URI, an event callback URI, and an event application logic URI.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a multi-tenant media communication platform system that includes;

a plurality of media communication micro-services including at least one signaling micro-service, and micro-service configuration for a plurality of entities configured for use of the platform system, the at least one signaling micro-service providing a network discovery service;

responsive to entity configuration provided by a first external system of a platform entity via an account management interface of the platform system, the platform system storing the entity configuration, the entity configuration being configuration for use of the signaling micro-service by the entity;

responsive to a signaling micro-service request for a first communication session between at least a first communication endpoint and a second communication endpoint, the signaling micro-service request being a request for use of the signaling micro-service for the first communication session on behalf of the entity, the platform system controlling the signaling micro-service to establish the first communication session in accordance with the stored entity configuration; and

an accounting system of the platform system accounting for the use of the signaling micro-service for the first communication session on behalf of the entity,

wherein the platform system includes at least one signaling micro-service API resource for the entity, and

wherein the platform system controlling the signaling micro-service to establish the first communication session comprises;

the platform system determining one of STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT) signaling negotiation and TURN (Traversal Using Relay NAT) signaling negotiation to establish a communication stream;

in a case where the STUN signaling negotiation is determined, the platform system controlling the signaling micro-service to service a network discovery session by performing STUN signaling negotiation to establish the communication stream;

in a case where the TURN signaling negotiation is determined, the platform system controlling the signaling micro-service to service a network discovery session by performing TURN signaling negotiation to establish the communication stream,

wherein performing STUN signaling negotiation comprises one of;

the signaling micro-service establishing a peer-to-peer media communication session; and

maintaining a signaling connection to the peer-to-peer media communication session at the multi-tenant media communication platform system, and

wherein performing TURN signaling negotiation comprises;

the signaling micro-service establishing a media communication session, and routing media of the communication session through the signaling micro-service,

wherein the entity is an entity managed by the account system of the platform system,

wherein use of the signaling micro-service comprises at least one computing resource of the platform system executing computer-readable instructions of the signaling micro-service, and

wherein the signaling micro-service is a regionally distributed micro-service, the platform system including computing resources in at least two geographic regions for the signaling micro-service, the platform system determining computing resources for use of the signaling micro-service based on a region of at least one media communication endpoint of media communication that uses the signaling micro-service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein routing media of the communication session through the signaling micro-service comprises routing the media of the communication session to a supplementary media service of the communication platform system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the supplementary media service is a media micro-service.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity configuration includes signaling micro-service configuration for use of the signaling micro-service by the entity, micro-service configuration specifying at least one of:

an endpoint mapping to at least one application logic uniform resource identifier (URI) of an external system, and an event callback URI of an external system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the entity configuration is received from at least one external system via an account management interface, the account management interface including a least one of an account portal user interface and an account management application program interface (API).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein entity configuration for the entity includes the signaling micro-service configuration and micro-service configuration for use of a media micro-service by the entity, the media micro-service being a micro-service of the plurality of micro-services of the media communication platform system, and wherein the signaling micro-service is combined with the media micro service by configuring at least one of an endpoint mapping and an event callback URI of the signaling micro-service to specify the media micro-service.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the platform system combines the signaling micro-service with the media micro-service responsive to user input received via at least one of the account portal user interface and an application program interface (API) of the platform system, and

wherein the platform system combines the signaling micro-service with the media micro-service by generating micro-service configuration for the signaling micro-service that specifies the media micro-service in at least one of an endpoint mapping and an event callback uniform resource identifier (URI) of the signaling micro-service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling micro-service application program interface (API) resource provides at least one of:

access to signaling micro-service configuration;

access to signaling micro-service information;

access to micro-service data;

access to signaling micro-service media; and

use of the signaling micro-service.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the signaling micro-service application program interface (API) resource is accessed by an external system via a public API provided by the platform system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein accounting for the use of the signaling micro-service comprises:

metering access of the signaling micro-service application program interface (API) resource by the entity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the platform system accounts for signaling micro-service usage by each entity independently.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the platform system performs billing for each entity based on the accounting of signaling micro-service usage by each entity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein use of a media micro-service is directed in response to an event in which the signaling micro-service calls out to an event application logic uniform resource identifier (URI) of an external application server to retrieve processing instructions, and the processing instructions retrieved via the event application logic URI direct the use of the media micro-service, the event application logic URI being configured for the event.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a media micro-service is activated in response to an asynchronously received application program interface (API) request to a signaling micro-service API resource of the signaling micro-service.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entities include at least one of a platform account and a platform sub-account.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating billing information for the entity based on the accounting for the use of the signaling micro-service on behalf of the entity.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the supplementary media service mutably operates on the media by modifying the media.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the supplementary media service is a synchronous media service.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the supplementary media service is a transcoding media service.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the supplementary media service is an asynchronous media service.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the supplementary media service is a media redacting service.

22. The method of claim 2, wherein the supplementary media service immutably operates on the media on the media by preserving the media.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the supplementary media service is a synchronous media service.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the supplementary media service is a real-time speech detection media service.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the supplementary media service is an asynchronous media service.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the supplementary media service is at least one of a speech to text service and an emotion detection service.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the platform system determines one of STUN signaling negotiation and TURN signaling negotiation in accordance with the entity configuration provided by the first external system and stored by the account system of the platform system.